Next stop Dunedin and five days of 'proper' cricket to prepare for the Test match. That is the sort of cricket played in white clothing with a red ball in front of two men and a dog. Maybe, since this form of the game is at risk of becoming an endangered species, there will be four men and a dog on the boundary of the University Oval.

The contrast between the gentle charm of Dunedin and the glitz and clamour of Mumbai could not be much greater, but during the lulls in the practice match, which begins tomorrow, you can be sure that one topic will be dominating the conversations of the England cricketers - and it will not be how to negate Daniel Vettori's arm ball, even if it is valued at $625,000 (£318,000).

They must look on at the unfolding of the IPL in Mumbai with some resentment. It is a party to which they are not invited. For the moment they are holding firm, saying the right things about international cricket being their priority. But there is so much scope for resentments to multiply. How many of us can resist a windfall? How many can avoid a touch of envy for those who acquire one?

While England's finest look on from the outside, the best umpires, such as Simon Taufel, are sensing their opportunity to make some easy money in India. Taufel has mused that an IPL income might be enough for him to give up his ICC commitments. The world's coaches are also alerted to the possibilities (Duncan Fletcher may well resurface, while Tom Moody has already committed himself to the Mohali franchise). I wonder if the IPL requires a trusty chronicler. Everyone wants their slice.

We are in surreal, uncharted territory. In the new game of cricketing Monopoly, Andrew Symonds is now the Park Lane of international cricket, far more valuable than Ricky Ponting, while Glenn McGrath becomes the Old Kent Road. They are laughing about that now, but even this will rankle one day. Meanwhile, the Community Chest seems inexhaustible... It's crazy, but it might just work.

If the figures really do stack up and the players can earn such vast sums for 44 days' work, the ICC will have to yield and create a window for the tournament. Chief executive Malcolm Speed has stated that the ICC has no intention of changing their beloved Future Tours Programme. We shall see. Once the best players desert 'proper' cricket - and they will if the money is right - a window will be found.

Back in Dunedin, there will probably not be much proper cricket in the two-day fixture against the Invitational XI. It is likely to be another of those glorified practice sessions with players wandering on and off the field at the behest of a coach, who somehow has to squeeze a quart into a pint pot. Two major decisions have to be made, which could radically affect the careers of those involved. One batting place has yet to be decided and someone has to make his Test debut behind the stumps when the First Test starts on 5 March in Hamilton.

Two Middlesex men, Andrew Strauss and Owais Shah, compete for one place. There are good arguments for Shah. After all, unlike Strauss, he was selected for Sri Lanka, where he was harshly omitted from the Test side. He is intrinsically more gifted. He even bowls the odd over of acceptable off-spin - Paul Collingwood was grateful to have him doing just that in Napier last Wednesday. He deserves a go.

Yet I doubt he will get one unless someone breaks a finger. Strauss is trusted, centrally contracted and catches well in the slips (a problem area since the disappearance of Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Flintoff). Moreover, Michael Vaughan has let it be known that he would prefer to bat at three. This means Strauss and Alastair Cook are likely to reunite as an opening pair, which has, so far, been unproductive.

This may be coincidence or it may be that they are too similar in method and approach to prosper together. The balance seems better if Vaughan goes out with one of the left-handers. But Vaughan is the captain. If he wants to bat at three, that is good news for Strauss.

When David Graveney announced the squads for New Zealand, he implied that Tim Ambrose would be the favourite to keep wicket in the Test matches, an odd thing to say so far ahead of the series. Ambrose's record as a batsman in first-class cricket is superior to Phil Mustard's (he averages 35 rather than 27). But Mustard has impressed behind the stumps and has finally managed a significant one-day innings. His confidence is high and he looks a cricketer. My inclination would be to stick with him. Life would be far simpler if there was one keeper for all forms of international cricket.

Provided Matthew Hoggard and Steve Harmison suggest they are fully fit in Dunedin there will be one place for England's 'white-ball' bowlers and that will surely go to Ryan Sidebottom. So James Anderson, a perennial sub for Tests but a regular ODI player, might be on the sidelines and the man best placed to console Shah if he also misses out again. Never mind, perhaps the IPL will call.